Follow my adventures in the exciting world of Heavy Seas beer, or whatever I happen to be doing wherever I happen to be doing it.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Falcons Rise WAY Up

Check out this guy standing a few seats away from me at Sunday nights Falcons/Cowboys game. For those of you not familiar with sports, that is Dikembe Mutombo. For those of you really not familiar with sports in the least bit, Dikembe Mutombo is an ex-NBA star who happens to be extremely tall. How tall? Well, the guy next to him in the blue hat is not sitting down. He and Dikembe are both standing up. OK, so that guy in the blue hat was a little below average height, but seriously, look at the size of Dikembe Mutombo. That is what a seven-foot, two-inch dude looks like watching a football game. It was cool to be right there next to him, and he seemed like a regular guy, just enjoying the game with what I assume was his son. The game was great, and now the Falcons are halfway through the season without a loss. Pretty impressive. Rise Up! (If you don't know what that means, well, just click here. Then get with the program.)

FRED BAR NEWS BULLETIN!

It looks like the project down there is complete and they intend to reopen tonight. That info is hot off the presses and 100% official. Now don't rush down there and spend all of your money right away, because below is the list of beers for the annual anniversary event scheduled for Tuesday, November 13th. I am not calling it an anniversary party, because "party" usually means that the drinks are free. These beers, sadly, are not. But damn if there are not some rare and tasty beers lined up. Check it out:Mikkeller Santa's Little HelperOskar Blues Oaked Gubna (Rare. Double-secret probation rare.)Port Anniversary AleRed Hare Coffee Cream StoutRed Hare Peanut Butter and Chocolate Porter Cask (Brand new and just crazy enough to be delicious.)Red Brick Smoked Vanilla GorillaSamiclausSierra Nevada Barrel-Aged Ovila Dubbel (Life altering.)Terrapin 10th Anniversary (The last one you will find anywhere.)Terrapin Reunion Beer '12 (See above.)Next week on Thursday the 15th is the Vanberg & Dewulf Coast-To-Coast Toast at The Fred Bar. Vanberg & Dewulf is an importer of great Belgian beers, and you don't necessarily have any reason to know their name, but you can visit their web site here anyway. You definitely have a reason to know their brands. Unless you hate beer, and then I don't like you. Go away. But seriously, this toast is nothing more than serving one of their beers on tap and recognizing the impact that this importer has had on the U.S. beer scene. They started importing high-quality beers in 1982. What were you doing to make beer in America interesting in 1982? I was busy pretending to be a space explorer or something. I was twelve. For the Coast-To-Coast Toast, we will be pouring a keg of Hop Ruiter. Here is their brief description of the beer, but that link is more thorough. Essentially this beer is made specifically for them by a brewery in Belgium.

"What happens when America’s original importer of Belgian artisan ales pairs up with one of Belgium’s most dynamic renegade breweries? You get the next logical step in Belgo-American cross fertilization: Hop Ruiter. It has a full, almost rustic malty body, paired with Belgian yeast driven flavors, followed by assertive American hoppiness. Hop Ruiter is dry hopped, complex and delicate, with a bit of funk."

There will also be some new draft beers debuting on Thursday night at The Fred. Be the first kid on the block to try Ass Kisser Double IPA, Smoked Porter and Vanilla Pale Ale. There will be some limited free glassware on a first-come, first-served basis. basically The Fred Bar is the place to be on Thursday, but unfortunately I will be on an airplane headed to Austin, TX that night. Try to have fun without me.So that's it for Fred Bar updates. The last thing I have for you today is your final reminder about the last two casks in the O'Dempsey's Your Black Heart Imperial Stout series. Tonight in Suwanee you can get the cask infused with Jim Beam barrel staves. Monday the 12th in Kennesaw--the last one--will be the cask with oranges, Champagne grapes and Sterling hops. Monday is also the five-year anniversary of our Kennesaw location, and they have a great array of beers stocked up for the evening. I know of two new Burnt Hickory kegs for sure: 9353 Peach IPA and Black & Wet, which is a black IPA. That is just a little teaser for you, but there are more specialties line up. Just be there. I gotta go, and you probably need to get back to work and stop daydreaming about quitting your job to drink beer all day long. See you around.